Commercial and Private Trusts

We work effectively with our clients to provide a seamless structuring, implementation and advisory service by taking a coordinated cross-practice, cross-jurisdictional approach. What makes our trusts offering unique is the depth and breadth of our experience in creating bespoke, trust-based solutions across M&A, capital markets, financial services and real estate transactions, in addition to our charities and private wealth expertise.

• Advising Unilever in the context of the historic simplification of its dual-listed structure and the €4.5bn disposal of its global tea business to CVC
• Advising insolvency practitioners from PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrators of Lehman Brothers on aspects of the global insolvency
• Advising OHL, the global infrastructure group, in respect of its market-leading and complex cross-border restructuring and scheme of arrangement
• Advising Lloyds Banking Group and RBS on the implementation of the UK’s bank ringfencing regime as it concerned their trust business
• Advising Investec in the context of the demerger and listing of its asset management business, Ninety One
• Advising Mondi Group in respect of the simplification of its existing structure from a dual listed company structure to a single holding company structure under Mondi plc
• Advising a consortium of financial institutions and Clearmatics in respect of the development of the Utility Settlement Coin (USC), an asset-backed digital cash instrument on blockchain for use within global institutional financial markets
• Assisting a range of sponsors including I Squared Capital, TDR Capital, Carlyle, HgCapital and Brookfield
• Advising various clients on the establishment and unwind of trusts for financing structures including securitisations, repackagings and loan financings
• Advising large grant-making charities including The Hadley Trust
• Advising on and implementing changes to the governance of a charitable foundation established by one of our major banking clients
• Providing structuring advice and achieving registration of a ground-breaking charity which provides access to mental health treatments and support for refugees and other displaced people globally
• Advising on the creation and registration of a UK funding charity for a British international school
• Establishing private trust company structures and advising on their ongoing administration